Never thought it could happen to me
by AtomicPenguin
Summary: On a school trip to Paris, a girl who wants nothing more that to meet the man of her dreams, The Phantom of the Opera! She leaves her world behind and inexplicbly falls into Erik's home. All Erik wanted was to be left to die in peace... Poor Erik! Rated T
1. Chapter 1

Yes, this is another time travel/ phangirl gets magically transported into Erik's lair type stories. Oh come on, we all have at least one! Oh and before I forget…

I do not own Erik/ The Phantom of the Opera. Nor do I own my friend Ginny. I only bullied her into coming and helping me out. I do, however, own me.

"Oh my god, Ginny. I can't believe we're actually here! _He _was here!" Renn squealed. She and her friend Virginia were on a trip across Europe courtesy of the foreign language department at their high school, and at the moment, they and the rest of the class were spending a week in Paris, France, about to begin a tour of the Paris Opera House. "Oh my god! That's box five! And the chandelier's so pretty…"

Virginia sighed. "Rennie, please don't geek out on me? This is a fictional character you're obsessing over!"

"So? You were obsessing over that anime dude last year, and I never bothered you about it," Renn said sticking her tongue out at her friend.

"Shut up. That was _last year! _I was an idiot back then! Anyway, please, don't squeal every time you see something that reminds you of your precious phantom?" Virginia gave her friend a pleading look.

"Fine, but will you please take my picture in front of the stage?" She made a very pathetic looking face. "Pretty please?"

"Jeez, girl, we took more than ten outside! Ah, fine."

"Sweet!" Renn grinned and dug through her bag for her digital camera. "I love this thing. The card can hold, like three hundred pictures at a time," She said handing it over and striking an extravagant pose. Ginny laughed and snapped a photo and handed the silver camera back to Renn.

"There you go, weirdo. Now let's _go_ the tour's about to start!" Renn and Virginia hurried to catch up with the guide and their fellow students. They followed the guide around the huge building, while the guide babbled on in French.

"What's he saying?" Renn asked.

"Nothing important. Just blah stuff about the wonderful history of the building. If you'd taken French like I wanted you to, you wouldn't be having these issues."

"Come on, Gin! Half my family's Spanish! I need to be able to communicate with them. You'll be dependant on me when we're in Madrid next week, so just translate for me if he says anything about the phantom."

Virginia rolled her eyes. They kept walking, and Renn gawked at every little thing, and scrutinized every surface for signs of a secret passage.

"Rennie…" Ginny knew exactly what Renn was looking for. "Does the word _fictional _have any meaning for you at all? There are no secret passages in this building, nor is there a psycho genius living under it! This is the twenty-first century for Christ's sake!" Renn rolled her eyes and ignored her friend. She knew that there was no phantom, no Erik, but still. It was fun to pretend, and daydream.

"Okay, you win! I'll pay attention to the damn boring tour and won't go all fangirly on you, okay?"

"Thank you! Jeez, you're so weird sometimes!"

"'Course I'm weird, that's why you love me." Rennie said with a grin. They continued to walk around the building until Renn was more bored than she dreamed possible. Soon though, she noticed an open door that looked dark and creepy, and would be genuinely fun to explore. She debated whether or not to get try and get Ginny to come, but she decided against it; this would be more fun alone. Besides, Ginny could be no fun at times. She'd probably drag her away back to the tour. The sensible part of her brain told her to get the fuck away from that door and follow the class, but she told herself that she would only be gone a minute and they would never miss her. She fell behind the group and slipped through the door. Inside, she could see that there were dark stairs leading down.

"Just like in the film!" She said to herself, grinning like mad. Tossing all better judgment aside, she started down the stairs two at a time.

"Renn, what the _fuck!_" Ginny's voice came from the door at the top of the stairs.

"Damn it," Renn sighed. "Okay, you win, I'm coming." She reluctantly climbed the stairs and went back through the door with Virginia.

"What are you _on?_ Do you want to get yourself grounded to the hotel for the rest of the week? Cone on, they're gonna be freaking out if they find out we're gone!" Virginia dragged Renn out the door and down the hallway where they caught up with the tour group. Thankfully, no one had noticed their absence, and they finished the tour without any more interruptions. Renn was really disappointed. The building was truly magnificent, but she had expected… something more. Just something phantomish. It wasn't like she expected Erik himself to show up and carry her down to his lair, (though she would not have complained,) but no one except herself even mentioned him. As they exited the building, she looked behind her at the grand building once more, and shook her head. She and her friends unhurriedly walked down the steps, and boarded the bus that was to take them to their next destination.

The group arrived at their hotel at around eight o' clock that night. Ginny and Renn went into the room they shared and changed into their pajamas. They sat down on their two twin beds, and Renn pulled her duffel bag onto her lap and dug through it to find her sketchbook. She flipped through it, seeing pages and pages of silly doodles, detailed drawings, and sloppy sketches, mostly of the phantom. She stopped at the next empty page, near the middle, and pulled her pencil from the rings.

"What are ya gonna draw?" Ginny asked, peering curiously at the book from her bed.

"Oh, I dunno. I'm just in the mood to draw," Renn replied.

"Can I see?"

"Um, sure," Renn said handing it over reluctantly. She didn't really like showing people her drawings. It made her feel really self-conscious, because she thought most of them were horrible.

"Wow, Rennie, these are really good!" Ginny exclaimed pouring over the pictures. "I really like this one." Virginia held up the book, showing Renn the picture that she liked. Renn blushed. It was a pencil drawing of Erik and Christine kissing. She was actually really proud of that one; the shading had taken her _ages_, and it did look good.

"Aw, thanks Gin." Rennie grinned. "But they're not _that_ good."

Virginia rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say… Hey, do you wanna watch a movie? I brought some and I'm pretty sure the T.V. in here has a DVD player." Renn nodded, and Ginny held up three DVD cases. "_Princess Bride, Love Actually,_ or _Pirates of the Caribbean?_"

"Ooh! _Princess Bride,_ definitely! I love that movie!" Renn replied. They started the movie, and Renn gave up on drawing anything that night. She stuffed her sketchbook back into her already overflowing duffel bag and zipped it up with some difficulty. She slid under the covers to watch the movie with her friend. The movie was as good as she remembered, and she drifted to sleep during the end credits.

Renn had strange dreams that night. There was swirling light, and the sound of water lapping against rock walls. It was cold and damp in her dream. There was scratching sounds of small creatures moving around, close to her. Rats? Then she was being carried somewhere by a dark figure with strong arms. Then she didn't remember anything more.

He nearly tripped over her in the dark. A girl, asleep in his passageways, and so close to his home. _How…?_ He leaned over her, and brushed her light brown hair out of her face and shook her shoulders a bit, but she only mumbled something about cheese graters and ignored him. She was dressed strangely, wearing a dark sleeveless top and pants with some sort of mouse pattern on them. _She must be freezing_. He didn't know what to what to do with this strange girl, but he knew he couldn't leave her. He picked her up without thinking, and started walking. A black bag in his path made him trip and nearly drop her. _It must belong to her._ He would have to go back and get it. He continued carrying the girl until he reached his lair. _The sofa or her bed_? He did not know this girl, and he did not want her in _her_ bed. _The sofa then. _He gently laid her down, and covered her with a blanket.

Renn woke up groggily, and wiped her eyes. _Strange dream…_ She realized she was not in the hotel bed any longer. She sat up, and looked around. She was lying on a sofa in the corner of what seemed to be a cave. She recognized this cave though. _I am _so _still dreaming._ She was in the phantom's lair! _This is not happening! _It was all there. The organ, the lake with the boat tied up, the swan bed… But she couldn't see _him._ Maybe she was still dreaming. She got up from the sofa and shivered when her bare feet reached the cold stone floor. She was still wearing the Mickey Mouse pajama pants and the black tank top she had slept in and she was freezing, so she took the blanket with her. She tiptoed to the lake's edge, and looked out over the calm water. A voice behind her said something in French. She knew that voice… Surprised, she jumped a foot in the air, stumbled, and landed on her but in the freezing water.

"Oh, _fuck!"_ Now she was wet, freezing, and the phantom was standing behind her, no doubt about to Punjab her, or kick her out or something. Instead, he took her arm and pulled her to her feet. He spoke in French again, and she could hear suppressed laughter in his voice. Renn slowly turned around and tried very hard not to stare or squeak or something like that.

"Um, I'm sorry Monsieur, but I don't speak French," Renn said with an apologetic smile, water dripping from her drenched hair. _This is not happening. I've gone completely mad. Did I hit my head or something?_

Erik raised an eyebrow and in perfect English said, "Are you all right? I had merely noted that you were finally awake. I had gone back to get this." He handed Renn her duffel bag. "I believe this is yours."

"Er, yeah. Thanks... How did I get here?" Renn asked incredulously.

"I carried you from the tunnels to my sofa. Your bag was lying next to you. Might I ask how you got that near my home without setting off any of my… precautions to keep people out?" Erik said his voice icy.

"Um, I dunno. Last I remember, I was falling asleep in my hotel room… This isn't some sort of weird joke is it?" _Am I crazy? I think I would know… But how the hell could I get here? Ginny wouldn't be able to pull this sort of joke, would she? And to get someone who looks this much like him… no. I'm either crazy of this is really happening. _The second option scared her more, because at least if she was crazy, it was explainable.

"I can assure you, there is no joke. Are you suggestion you sleepwalked here?" he asked.

_Not unless I can sleepwalk over one-hundred-thirty-five years._ "I don't think so. I'm not _from _here. I don't _belong_ here!"

"Explain yourself."

"What year is it?"

"1871, in February."

"It's supposed to be the year _2006!"_ There was a long silence. Renn gave a pleading look. "I think I might be going crazy. I – I must have hit my head, or I'm still dreaming. You've _got _to be a figment of my imagination."

Erik stare at her, dumbfounded. "You – you say that you are from the future? You – I don't believe you." Renn nodded, not believing how incredibly crazy that sounded. "Where were you before you came here?"

"The foreign language classes at my school are taking a summer trip across Europe. We've just come from Germany, and England before that. We're staying in Paris for a week, and today we took a tour of the opera house which was really cool, and I was going to sneak off and look for this place, but my friend Ginny – Virginia, caught me. We finished the tour and went to dinner, and went back to the hotel, and we went to bed, and that's it! Nothing happened that would justify me being here. I don't know, Erik!" Renn spoke very fast, not realizing that she had said his name. He, however, did.

"How do you know my name?" He asked.

"Well.." She pondered how to best tel him that he had legions of phangirls all willing to... she refused to follow that train of thought any longer. "In my time, you're famous. There's a bunch of books, and a musical, and several movies, those are like moving photographs with sound, all about you and… what happened. How long has it been? A month?"

Erik turned away. "One month, eighteen days tonight." She could hear the pain and longing in his voice. Renn sat down on the sofa, wrapped the blanket tighter around her, and put her bag down on the ground beside the sofa.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Renn looked at the floor. The ending of the story made her cry every time; she couldn't begin to imagine how painful it must have been for him. "I'm sorry." She shifted uncomfortably.

"What is your name, mademoiselle?"

"Renn Keel. Erm, I…"

"You say I am famous in your time. Famous as the crazed monster behind the burning of the opera house and abduction of Miss Daae no doubt," Erik said, darkly.

"Oh no!" Renn replied. "Famous as the tragic, misunderstood," _sex god, _"anti-hero, who,"_ desperately needs to get laid,_ "did not get the love he deserved." _I did not just say that out loud. _Renn gave him a small smile. She then remembered that she had her copy of Susan Kay's _Phantom_ in her bag. "I have this," she said, pulling it out and handing Erik the well worn paperback. "It's my favorite book. Read it, if you like. I don't know if it's true…It may be a bit... much. It, er, makes me cry every time I read it." He took the book from her hand and raised an eyebrow. He sat on the couch next to her, keeping an arm's width between the two of them.

"May I see the rest of the contents of your bag?" _Why the hell isn't he raging at me to get the fuck out of his lair? _Renn nodded and pulled out a pile of clothes.

"Um, these are just my clothes for the week." She dropped the clothes in a pile on the floor, and proceeded to pull out her camera, a small mp3 player, her sketchbook, and a pencil pouch. Erik started to reach for her sketchbook, but she snatched it away. "Er, can we not look through this? It's embarrassing." Showing Ginny her multitude of phantom drawings way hard enough! She would by no means show them to the subject of her art! Besides, some really were awful, and others were very emotional like the kissing one, and one of him crying, no mask. She didn't think he would appreciate that one. (There were also a total of five shirtless pictures of Erik, and nothing would make her show him _those!_)

"This is my camera," Renn said, holding it up. She presses the power button.

"Cameras do not look like _that!"_

"In 2005 they do!" She snapped his picture and laughed as he was momentarily blinded by the flash. "Here, look." She moved it to the view mode, and showed him the picture. He had a very weird look on his face. "Ha-ha! You look high!" Renn laughed.

"Get rid of it. I will not have anyone seeing me," Erik said icily and stood up.

Renn shrank back, suddenly afraid. "I'm sorry. Look, it's deleted. Gone. No one will see it." _Jeez, it's not like you don't have your stupid mask on, ass._ "But it is pretty cool. I can make videos and pictures and stuff. Here, let me show you." She flipped on the video mode and pressed record.

"Hello everybody! I'm actually in the phantom's lair!" She said into the camera, taking a video. "Look at all the pretty stuff! The organ, the doll house of crazy, and look, its Erik's foot, cause he won't let me video his face! Say hello Erik!"

"… Hello."

She stopped recording, and switched it again to view mode. "Now watch _this!"_ She handed him the camera and pressed play. His eyes widened in amazement.

"Remarkable. How does it work?"

"Er, I dunno. Something to do with a memory card, and transferring images into like, numbers, or something. I'm really not the right person to ask. And, um, this is my mp3 player. It plays music. Look, put these in you ears…" She turned it on and sorted through her music until she got to the _Phantom of the Opera _album. Trying to think which song would be least… painful, or one that wouldn't hurt his ears, _Prima Donna..._ she decided on Masquerade, and pressed play.

"Incredible… How on earth... It must be an amazing time… Urgh, turn it off!" Renn quickly took the earphones, and put them to her ear.

"…look, your future bride. Just think of it…" _Whoops, forgot about that bit. How could I be so stupid?_

"I'm sorry." _That's all I seem to be doing, apologizing._

"Get out."

"Where the hell am I supposed to go? I'm wet, freezing, and all I can bloody say in French is Bonjour!"

"That is not my problem."

"Urgh! Please! Look, I can be really useful! I can cook, I can clean, and I'm not _that_ bad a singer. I can draw too." She wracked her brain for how else she could be of assistance. "I could go buy stuff for you, so you wouldn't need to bribe people any more… and I'll be there if you need someone to talk too, and I can, um, do other stuff," she finished lamely.

Why had this girl showed up in his home when all he wanted was to be left to die in peace? With her strange ways, and strange story he found her oddly intriguing. And she knew about him; she claimed to know his whole story. _It doesn't matter,_ he told himself. She was trespassing. An unwanted visitor. He didn't want any people around him.

"Child…"

This was ridiculous. Why did he hesitate? Maybe… maybe having a little assistance around his home _wouldn't _be such a bad idea. She was obviously distressed, and she didn't have anywhere to go… Erik sighed.

"Fine."

Renn's eyes widened. He couldn't mean…

"You may remain here."

Well, that was thuroughly fun to write. Now, should I continue is the question? If you review, I'll give doughnuts!


	2. Chapter 2

Alright ya'll here's chappie 2! Ya'll know the deal, I don't own Phantom of the Opera, and you get candy for reviewing!

"Follow me." Renn was still in shock at the mere fact that he had told her she could stay. "Bring your things, child." She nodded and got up from the sofa, and followed him toward a door in the rock. She nearly reached for his hand, but pulled back at the last second. She wasn't sure how he would react to this strange girl he'd barely met holding his hand. _Probably freak him out._ He opened the door and stepped aside so Renn could see in. Just as she thought, it was the Louis-Philippe room. An elegant four poster bed stood in a corner, and there was a lush Persian rug spread across the floor. Dead roses littered the ground, still perfuming the air with their sickly sweet scent.

"You may use this room, mademoiselle. Take care that you do not break anything. You can start helping me by cleaning those up." Erik said gesturing to the roses. "There is a bathroom through that door." He pointed to it. "You may clean up in there. The lake does not have exactly the cleanest water in Paris." Erik was uneasy about allowing her to use the same bed his dearest Christine has slept in. It was ridiculous, he knew, but he couldn't help it. "I will leave you now. When you are finished come back out, please." Renn nodded, and headed for the bathroom with her bag. She went in and locked the door behind her in habit. She glanced around the magnificent room. A huge gold colored bath with lots if knobs and spouts sat against one wall, and there was a long mirror, which surprised her. _It couldn't be…_She went up to the mirror and tried to pull it away from the wall. It moved away easily, and she could tell that there were no passages behind the large slab of glass. _That's good. I won't have anyone spying on me in the bathroom! Not even him. _The sink and toilet were on the opposite wall. Shivering again, she took off her soaked pajamas and turned to figure out the shower.

Erik sat alone in front of his organ, speculating on what he had agreed to in taking this child in. _Well, not quite a child._ She looked no younger than seventeen. He tried not to think of what Renn had said about where she came from. _The girl must be mad. Heh, fancy that, two lunatics in one cell. But those things she had… Maybe she is telling the truth. Ah well, only one madman here. Seventeen… She is Christine's age…_He looked at the ground and sighed. _Why must I always dwell on the past? Everything I see reminds me of her…_Ayesha, his Siamese cat, chose this moment to stroll in. She sauntered up to him, demanding to be stroked. He smiled sadly.

"Oh, Ayesha, you are the only one that seems unaffected by this… Why couldn't I have been born a cat, uncaring to human affairs? Why has god cursed me with this face?"

Renn stepped out of the bathroom, clean and dressed in a black velvet skirt and a purple t-shirt, with a black hooded jacket over it. She wrapped her wet hair in the towel and ventured back into the main room to meet Erik again. _"Why has god cursed me with this face?" _She cleared her throat, making Erik spin around in alarm.

"Ehh, sorry should I go?" Renn asked, seeing that he was clearly distressed. She took a step back toward her room.

"No, stay. Please. I've not spoken to anyone in over a month." Renn smiled and nodded.

"Is this your cat? Ayesha?" She paused to admire the sleek cream colored cat, curled up on Erik's lap, kneading her claws into Erik's leg. She grinned seeing him wince, but not push her away. _It's just like me and Ginger at home. Home! How will I get back? _She decided not to dwell on thoughts like that. Why would she want to get back anyway? She was in the same room as _Erik!_

"Yes, she is my cat, mademoiselle. But," He warned, seeing Renn walk closer in order to stroke the beautiful animal, "She does not like strangers." Renn ignored him and slowly walked up to the cat.

"Hey, kitty kitty," She crooned, holding out her hand for Ayesha to sniff. "Good kitty!" Ayesha sniffed her hand disdainfully, ignored her and went back to being stroked by her master. Renn ran her finger along the graceful cat's cheek and stopped to scratch her behind the ear. "Pretty kitty…"

Renn sat down on the sofa, facing the organ, and Erik sat on the organ bench facing her. "So…" They both looked at the floor, neither of them knowing what to say. _This as awkward as hell… Maybe I should ask about Christine? No, that would make him mopey again. I'll erm, Maybe He'd talk about Persia with me? No. Um, meh. Wow, he looks good. That cape… Did he _have_ to wear the open collared shirt in front of me? _From there her mind dove strait into the gutter, where no sane mortal dare go. We won't follow her.

Erik stared at his feet. How was he to speak with a girl? A girl from the twenty-first century as well! _Maybe if, no, she would not want to show me those things again, after how I reacted. I am such a _monster!_ How can she even bear to be near me? And she says she knows… How could she, and still sit in the same room?_ Erik continued to pity himself, and heap self loathing onto his shoulders. _She is probably afraid to leave. She must think I'll kill her if she tries. _

"Will you…" Renn started. Erik looked up at her, abandoning his melancholy thoughts for a moment. "Would you, maybe, play something on the organ? I can't stand this silence." Renn gave him an encouraging smile. "Please?"

Erik sighed. How could she possibly know how much music cost him now? Some days, it was all that kept him from suicide, but others, he hated music and all it had brought upon him.

Renn grinned at Erik's curt nod, and her smile widened as he touched his graceful hands to the keys. The music was flowing through her; her heart beat in time with the rhythm. From the first note, she was enthralled. The notes sailed through her; she was floating on a cloud spun from sound. She leaned her head back on the couch, and half closed her eyes. When the song finished, she found that tears had been trailing down her cheeks.

"Erik… That was…" She wiped the tears from her face, and stood up. "So beautiful!" Slowly she walked up behind him.

He sensed her approaching him from behind. This was all too familiar. He felt her soft hand touch his face and nearly lost control. _She _would not see his face; no one would ever see his face again!

One second, Renn accidentally brushed his face with her hands, the next; she was against the wall, His strong hands gripping her neck. She couldn't breathe.

"IGNORANT CHILD!" Erik raved at the girl, unconsciously tightening his grip on her neck. He didn't think, he couldn't think. Uncontrollable rage coursed through him.

"Erik! Ungh… stop! I can't BREATHE!" The hands loosened their death grip on her neck, and she slumped to the cold floor, massaging her neck and coughing. "Damn it Erik, I wasn't going to do anything!"

Erik looked at his hands in horror. _What have I done? What have I done? What have I DONE! I could have _killed _her! Damn you Erik, Damn you and your horrible temper! _He ran to his room, and shut the door, locking it.

Renn picked herself up from the floor, and rubbed her neck again. "Erik?" she called out, not expecting an answer. She waited a moment, and slowly walked back to her room. _Nothing more to do. Might as well sleep._ She changed into pajamas from her bag, and slipped between the covers. _Erik…_

He was sure she was asleep when he quietly stole into her room some hours later. "I'm sorry," He breathed softly. _Will she still stay? Will she want to, after I've been such a beast? _He glanced back at her pretty face as she slept. _No, by morning she will be gone. And I will be alone again. _

So, what'd ya think? Angsty, I know but ya gotta love it! Please review! I'll give cookies and candy and doughnuts!


	3. Chapter 3

And here we are again! Sooo sorry it took me so long to update. I am a horrible person and should be cheesegratered to death. hangs head

Disclaimer: No, sadly, I don't own The Phantom of the opera. Damn it. Oh the wonderful things I'd do if I did… Okay, I'll stop now. evil grin

Renn heard him come in, but pretended to be asleep. _"I'm sorry…"_ She heard him whisper. He lingered in her room a moment, before slipping out again. When he was gone, she sat up in bed, thinking. _Poor Erik, I bet he's so miserable… _She half wanted to go out and talk to him, assure him that she wasn't going anywhere, but she knew he wouldn't want to talk. She rolled over and slowly drifted off to sleep.

A thump at the end of the bed rudely interrupted Renn's slumber. "Damn it, Ginger, you awful cat! Fuck off, lemme sleep." She mumbled, still half asleep. Sharp claws digging into her thigh woke her up the rest of the way. 

"Fucking ow!" She hissed, shoving the cat-shaped ball of fur and claws away from her. "Mother fu-…" _Waitasec. This isn't my room! That's not my cat!_ The events of the previous day hit her like a hammer. _Oh. Right. So. I wasn't dreaming? Hot damn!_ Incredibly phangirly thoughts drifted through her mind. I won't go into detail, but the phrase "Lots of sex and babies" came up at one point. Another thump, this time by her head. Renn opened one eye warily, and saw angry slanted blue ones glaring back at her.

"Miaow." Said the elegant Siamese, disdain dripping from her very being. The cat and the girl stared at each other for a few moments more, before Ayesha decided that the incompetent human was not worth the energy it would take to kill her, and slunk out of the room.

"Urgh, cats… they're all the same…" Renn rolled over and tried in vain to go back to sleep. She gave up after minutes of attempting to sleep, and flung the blankets off of her. She shivered when the freezing air hit her skin. _Urgh! So fucking cold!_ Renn dashed to her bag, and pulled on the warmest clothes she had brought. _Not very warm considering I packed for freakin' summer._ Dragging the blanket and her bag with her, she crept to the living room. To her disappointment, the room was deserted; Erik was nowhere to be found. 

"Erik?" she called softly, "Erik, are you there? About last night, it's nothing, really, I'm fine, I'm not angry, I'm not going anywhere! Erik?" She waited for a moment, listening intently, but no sound came to her ears, and the Phantom did not appear out of the shadows. Renn sighed. Had she really expected him to be there, and profess his love to her on the spot? She shook her head, and plopped ungracefully onto a sofa. Humming absentmindedly, she dug through her bag for her sketchbook and a pencil. Having found both, she curled up in a corner of the sofa and flipped through it, to an unfinished sketch of, Erik, who else? She brought pencil to paper, and started working.

Erik paced in his room. He had heard the strange girl shriek at his cat and use several words that he had never heard come out of a lady's mouth. He smiled at that. Smiled, he realized, for the first time since… her. He stopped, and lingered by his coffin. The child was still there. He picked up the book that she had given him the night before and looked again at the illustrations on the inside cover. How could the author have known? A record of his life… from his birth, till… He didn't think about the rest. He'd read nearly the entire book the night before, but stopped, knowing what was to come next, when the narration switched to Raoul's point of view. He would rather not read about his own death. He paused, thinking. The girl, Renn, deserved better treatment than being left alone in the living room, after how he had behaved last night. He opened his door and stepped into the hallway.

A sound behind her startled her out of her concentration. She turned her head sharply to see Erik standing behind her, looking rather nervous.

"Good morning, monsieur," Renn said, and then realized that she had no idea whether it was actually morning. "Er, it is morning isn't it?" Renn gave an apologetic smile.

"Late afternoon, actually. It was four in the morning when I found you."

"Ah, good afternoon then." Renn shifted uncomfortably. She noticed the book in his hand. "Oh. Did you read it?"

Erik nodded in reply, his eyes unreadable. "Yes, all but the end. I'd rather not hear it." His tone was cold, his voice strained. Renn nodded slowly_. I shouldn't have given him that book. That's gotta be a traumatizing read…The end? AH! The end! He dies in the end! Fuck! Oh gods. And She's supposed to come and um… visit… in the end! Shit! I must change the ending! _

"So…" Renn started, "Is it, um, true? Did it all happen?" Erik only nodded again, and Renn thought she could see a glimmer of tears behind his mask. She stood up slowly, abandoning her drawing.

Erik stood beside the sofa, trying to hide his tears. Knowing what he had done in his life, what he was, how could she stand to be near him? Renn stood up, and took slow, deliberate steps toward him.

"Erik, I'm so sorry." She said softly. She stopped right in front of him and shifted her weight uncomfortably. She came to a quick decision and wrapped her arms around him in a brief hug. He stiffened at her touch. Erik stood there, stunned. Had she just hugged him? He reluctantly met her eyes, and Renn gave him a shy smile. "It'll get better, I know." _Yeah, if I can keep him from having another heart attack, or killing anybody, or dying somehow… This is gonna be work. _


End file.
